Loaded Kalashnikov rifles and communication devices used by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre were discovered by local rehabilitation teams inside a kindergarten in Kibbutz Be’eri, the Israel Police announced on Wednesday.
The items, identified as loaded AK-47 rifles and handheld radio pagers, allegedly used by Nukhba terrorists during the October 7 attack, were found by the civilian rehabilitation teams working at the site.
According to the police, the cache was discovered in a kindergarten building that has remained inactive since it was damaged on October 7.
Police from the Southern District were called to the scene. They carried out a controlled neutralization operation, then transferred the weapons and equipment for further processing by investigators. No one was wounded during this process.
Authorities said the weapons were rendered safe at the site before being removed. The police intend to examine the findings as part of the broader probe into the October 7 massacre in the Gaza border communities.
Kibbutz Be'eri undergoing reconstruction since October 7 attack
Kibbutz Be’eri has been rebuilding housing and civic infrastructure while residents gradually return under government rehabilitation programs.
Plans approved since 2024 include a new residential neighborhood and restoration of damaged buildings, with local leaders projecting phased returns through 2026.
Military and civilian inquiries into October 7 have unfolded in stages, from initial day-by-day timelines to formal IDF probes that review failures and recommend broader reviews. Recent updates note shortcomings in several investigations that require additional work, alongside comprehensive chronologies of the Hamas assault and the IDF response.
On Monday, the IDF announced that five of 25 earlier probes it conducted into the October 7 disaster had been insufficient, requiring those investigations to be redone.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.